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Wednesday, 27 August 2014

Nick Clegg hails UK-India businesses

The UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has today praised the special relationship between UK and Indian companies on a visit to India's hi-tech capital, Bangalore. Opening a new Tech Hub and UK Indian Business Centre in Bangalore, the Deputy Prime Minister paid tribute to the technical mix of innovative Indian and UK businesses who will form a winning combination to share their expertise and boost UK-India trade.

The final leg of the Deputy Prime Minister's visit with a 40-strong UK business delegation is focused on opportunities for further growth in aerospace, hi-tech and manufacturing between the two countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "India is at a major crossroads in its economic destiny, and Bangalore is a shining example of how technological expertise can be harnessed to create a powerhouse for growth. This city is among the top ten preferred locations for entrepreneurs in the world, and home to more start-ups than any other city in India. What I see in Bangalore is that India's prowess in aerospace and hi-tech is growing fast. This is fertile ground for UK and Indian firms to do business, and that's been proven by the deals done today by UK companies setting up shop here in India."

His visits in Bangalore included:

Airbus - The Deputy Prime Minister visited the Airbus India facility. The team at Airbus showed the Deputy Prime Minister an advanced simulation to test aircraft parts. The team in India do the computer modelling and link up live to teams in the UK to run the tests on actual parts, such as wings.

Seeing the Hawk manufacturing facility at the aircraft division of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine advanced jet aircraft produced under licence in India by HAL. The Indian Air Force contracted a second batch of 57 aircraft in 2010.

Inaugurating the new UK India Business Centre and the new Tech Hub. The Business Centre is the second to be opened in India (the other being in Delhi) and provides support to UK businesses who want to grow in India. The Tech Hub aims to grow 1,000 Bangalore start-ups in 3 years and link them with the UK

Launching Wakefield company Group Rhodes' first base in India. Group Rhodes' facility in Bangalore is expected to create 50-60 new UK jobs in Wakefield and 60 jobs in India in research and development, engineering, and design and supply chain management. Group Rhodes have also signed a contract worth in excess of £2 million pounds with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Pattonair will be opening a permanent Bangalore office at the end of the year to help boost the supply chain in India and provide better service to Indian clients. The company are also pursuing a number of promising opportunities to further expand both their customer and supplier network in India.

Announcing that Renishaw are setting up a metal 3D printing centre at its facility in Pune. Renishaw is a world leader in engineering and science based technologies. Renishaw supplies products used for applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. Renishaw is the only UK company that designs and makes industrial machines which 'print' parts from metal powder. Their new technical centre will sit alongside Renishaw's existing key locations in the UK (Gloucestershire, and Miskin in South Wales).

The Deputy Prime Minister has been on a three-day visit to India starting on Monday, leading the first UK trade delegation to the country since the new Indian government was elected in May.